Dan Dan Noodles

I can't even begin to tell you how flavorful and amazing this dish is.  I have never had it before.  I stumbled across this dish in my internet searches and after watching Mark Weins and all his amazing food travel videos.  I totally binge watched his videos during the whole COVID 19 thing.  I couldnt get enough.  And sadly thinking, will anyone ever travel again.  Well, of course they will.... right?

Are you familiar with Sichuan peppercorns?  I really wasn't.  I mean I knew of their existence but didn't really know their effect until recently.  I was watching Mark Weins on You Tube (at 31:41 you will see the peppercorns) and he was eating fresh Sichuan peppercorns and his tongue was going numb.  Wait.  What?  Why?  So because I am so curious about food and ethnic food in particular, I had to research.  Well, after watching lots of videos and wand reading countless Chinese cookbooks and acquiring two new cookbooks (Fuschia Dunlop, Every Grain of Rice and The Food of Sichuan), I now know more. And really I was like why would someone want there tongue to go numb.  I am not really sure but I can tell you it is a pleasureful experience.  And mixed with these crazy delicious flavors, you simply cant go wrong.  You will be addicted to the Sichuan "numbing" experience.

DAN DAN NOODLES
If you are not a fan of spicy food, keep moving.  This has serious kick.  Certainly you can increase or decrease to your liking- the chili oil and the Sichuan peppercorns.

topping:
1 pound pork, ground
1 clove garlic

2 tablespoons Chinese cooking wine

1/2 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorn

1 tablespoon dark soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorn

1 teaspoon ginger

2 tablespoons preserved mustard greens

sauce:

1 tablespoon black vinegar

2 tablespoons sesame paste*

1 tablespoon chili oil

1 teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon light soy sauce

1 teaspoon chicken flavoring

2 tablespoons Chinese cooking wine

1 teaspoon ginger, fresh, grated

Noodles

Greens, ie. bok choy, broccoli rabe, swiss chard

garnish:

chopped peanuts

sliced scallions

This is a multi step process.  Nothing difficult, just time consuming.  But good things come to you when you put forth the effort.  You will not be disappointed.

1. Rinse preserved mustard greens. Drain. Set aside. Chop peanuts. Set aside.  Slice green onions. Set aside.

2.  Make sauce. Combine black vinegar, sesame paste,  chili oil, sugar, light soy sauce, chicken flavoring, Chinese cooking wine and ginger. Spoon into bowls. This will be the bottom layer of the noodle dish.

3. Cook noodles, timing so that they get done a little before pork.

4. Cook pork, breaking it up as it cooks.  You want small pieces. Let it get a little golden.  Then add garlic.  Cook one minute.  Add Chinese cooking wine, Sichuan peppercorn,  dark soy sauce and ginger. Combine quickly and let cook 1 minute all the while stirring it around.  Remove from heat and add mustard greens.

5. Cook green seperately in salted boiling water.

6. Place noodles on top of sauce in bowls.  Place pork topping on bowls, dividing evenly.  Then sprinkle peanuts and scallions over top. Place greens on side.  Serve immediately and have people stir their noodles quickly as you dont want the noodles sticking together.  Enjoy!

*I did use tahini but Chinese sesame paste is different.  I have also seen many people use peanut butter instead so feel free to choose.

Stuffed Cabbage, also known as, Galumpki's

Galumpki's  (phonically spelled go-wump-keys, with the emphasis on wump). Says an English speaking Polish person.  This is how it is pronounced, in our family anyhow,

It's crazy how cabbage can be so different.  I need to talk to a farmer about this.  If you know, please tell me.  Sometimes cabbage comes off in thin leaves all the way down to the core.  Other times, as you get closer to the center, the leaves start to get very thick and curly.  It must be two different kinds of cabbage but honestly I need to know so I don't run into this problem again. I think it might be Spring and Winter cabbage????  Anyone know the answer to this conundrum?

If you make stuffed cabbage make sure you get the thin leaves all the way down to the core kind of cabbage.  The thick leaves are very hard to work with and just don't deliver the end product I like.  I really must try this again when I find the perfect cabbage.

I grew up on this dish.  My Mother is Polish and she also grew up on this.  I remember she always made it with mashed potatoes.  We would pour the juice over our mashed potatoes.  I would swirl it around together on my plate, playing with it.  Truth be told though, I didn't care much for cabbage when I was young.  I never ate the 'wrapper'.  Now, its a different story. As I really do like cabbage but in the Autumn I end up getting sick of it. Then it reestablishes itself in the kitchen in later winter as the source of an inexpensive vegetable for a meal.  Then there is Spring Cabbage- best cole slaw! But I digress.

When I went to Poland with my friend, like, a thousand years ago, her cousin made hers almost the size of cigars.  I really liked that... a lot.  Definitely need thin cabbage for that!

Stuffed Cabbage/Galumbki
You can use all beef if you like.  You can use cooked rice instead. Your preference.

1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork
1 1/2 cups rice, uncooked
1 cup onions, diced
1 can tomato paste
1/4 cup minced parsley
2 garlic cloves minced
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1 head cabbage

Sauce
1 cup tomato paste
2 cups water
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoons sugar

Saute onions in butter until golden.  Set aside to cool.

Place a large pot of water on to boil.  Add salt to the water.

In a large bowl combine: beef, pork, rice, tomato paste, parsley, garlic, salt, pepper. Add in cooled onions.

Core cabbage head.  Place whole head of cabbage into water.  Cook for about 8 to 10 minutes. Take cabbage head out.  Carefully remove leaves one at a time.  Any broken leaves can be used at the end to cover the whole casserole.  Alternately you can soften leaves one at a time.

Place about 1/3 of a cup of filling into a leave and roll up tucking in ends.

Mix ingredients for sauce.  Spoon some sauce into the bottom of  the casserole dish.

Line bottom of casserole dish with some broken leaves, this will help keep your rolls from burning.

Place your rolled cabbage, tucked neatly in rows.  Remember they will swell a little as they have uncooked rice in them.  So don't pack too tightly.

Pork Braciole with Ragu

Tomorrow is Fat Tuesday or Shrove Tuesday.  The craziness in New Orleans begins.  But this post is not about some New Orleans food.  It's about the Italian Carnivale.  It's about Red Pack Tomatoes celebration of Carnivale with a giveaway for you!  Yes, you!
 
I wanted to make something special for the occassion so I went for the Braciole.  I have never made it before.  I had most of the things on hand to make the recipe.  Along with a couple cans of Red Pack crushed tomatoes that Red Pack shared with me.  It came together way easier than I had ever imagined it would.  Pounding the meat was the hardest part.  The rest, just throwing things into the pan, per the usual.

So what does ragu mean?  It means "(in Italian cooking) a sauce typically made with ground meat, onions, tomato puree, and red wine, and served with pasta".  So technically I made ragu but it did not include pasta



Pork Braciole with Ragu


1 cup panko
1/4 cup parsley
3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup pine nuts
2 tablespoons golden raisins, soaked in warm water for 15 min.and drained

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
One 2-1/2 lb. boneless pork loin roast, cut into 16 slices and pounded 1/8" thick
1/4 pound bacon

1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup red wine
Two 28-oz. cans Red Pack crushed tomatoes, juice included
1 tablespoon basil, dried
1 teaspoon oregano, dried

1. Slice your meat into, roughly four inch by four inch pieces, about an inch thick. Set aside in a cool place.


2. Make the stuffing.
Cook 1/2 pound of bacon in large skillet.  Once it is browned, add in the onion, Cook until it is translucent.  

Combine panko crumbs, 3 tablespoons parsley, the cheese, garlic, toasted pine nuts, plumped up raisins (soak them in hot water for 15 minutes) and the onion/bacon mixture. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Spoon the filling into the meat and roll it up tight, pinching at the end and inserting a few toothpicks into it to keep it closed up.


4. In that same skillet with the onion and bacon, brown the rolled up meat.  Turning to meat with tongs and browning as many sides as you can.

5. Pour in the wine and cook until more than half is evaporated, about 5 minutes.

6. Reduce the heat to low, add the tomatoes, oregano, basil, remaining parsely, salt, and pepper, and simmer until the meat is tender, around 30 minutes. Remove the rolls, turn the heat to high, and reduce the sauce until thickened, about 7 minutes. Then turn the heat off and return the rolls to the sauce.

Approximately 420 calories per serving.

Do you want to enter for the giveaway?  It's Simple. Leave a comment below saying what your favorite Italian dish is or what is the most unique Italian dish you ever ate was.

One entry per person. Enter by March 3rd at midnight.

One winner will be drawn at random.

Winner will be announced on March 4th.

Pork Souvlaki

One of my most favorite things to order at our local Mediterranean restaurant, souvlaki.  Chicken or pork, doesn't matter, so delicious.  I really never thought I could replicate it at home.  Thanks to Peter of Kalofogas, I was able to replicate it.  AMAZING taste! I am so making this in the near future.  Great grill food!

I am so flippin' mad at Blogger right now.  In the past few days I have been working on getting all of recipes catalogued.  I went through nearly all of a year.  I have been so bad about doing it.  I worked very hard.  Went to save it and POOF, it was gone.  Gloom, despair and agony on me, deep dark depression excessive misery... oops sorry, I always end up singing that song at times likes these.  For those of you that do not get my reference... Hee Haw was the show and this was the skit.  Crack me up. I love You Tube so I can reminisce. 

Anyway, here is what I did.  Check out Kalofogas if you have not.  He is amazing.  Lots of good food and the man has a good sense of style.

Pork Souvlaki
Largely adapted from Peter's recipe at Kalofogas

2 1/2 pounds pork butt, trimmed and cubed into uniform pieces.
1 onion roughly chopped
1 tablespoon oregano
6 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 generous teaspoon salt
1 generous teaspoon pepper

1/4 cup canola oil

Combine all into a stainless steel or glass bowl and mix well.  Let sit overnight in the refrigerator.
Next day skewer the meat.  I used metal skewers but if you are using wood, make sure you adequately soak the wood before applying the meat to prevent major burning.

Trust me, I will know when you try this recipe because I will hear you saying, "hmmmm, oooh, ahhhh" and whatever other expletives you may care to say.

Korean Food: Korean Style Pork Loin

This was the main attraction for our meal.  While it probably isn't very authentic, it was still delicious.

I am gearing up for summer. I can not believe that school is almost out.  I am dreading the fighting. I am thinking I have to keep them busy like last summer but I think I will shift that thought process this year.  This year I am adopting a work for fun rule and a peace or else rule.  I find they do way better when they have something to work towards.  I think I may also do the Saturday morning (or whatever morning) clean that I use to do with my Mother when I was little.  Every Saturday morning I helped my Mom clean.  No cartoons until we were done.  I started out with dusting and worked my way up. 

What do you do with your kids in the summer?  How do you handle idle hours? Do you keep them real busy or do you kick back?

Korean Style Pork Loin
Recipe from Cooking Light

1/3 cup of low sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp minced peeled fresh ginger
3 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp dark sesame oil
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 1/2 lb pork tenderloin, trimmed of fat
1.2 cup brown sugar

Combine soy sauce, sugar, ginger, rice vinegar, sesame oil, red pepper and garlic in a bowl or a large zip-top plastic bag; add pork. Seal and marinate in refrigerator 8 hours or overnight, turning occasionally.

Preheat oven to 425°. Heat a large ovenproof skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Remove pork from bag, reserving marinade. Add pork to pan; cook 6 minutes, browning on all sides.
Place pan in oven; bake at 425° for 15 minutes or until meat thermometer registers 160° (medium) or until desired degree of doneness. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing.

Bring reserved marinade to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the brown sugar.  Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes or more until thickened.

Pork with Fig Port Sauce

So here is the main course from last Sunday.  We had the pork with port fig sauce, rice pilaf, cole slaw and green beans.  The picture was taken on the fly.  I figured I better grab a shot before it was all gone and gone it was, in no time.

If you asked me what one of my favorite meals was, this would be the one.  We have it every year at Christmas.  It's fairly easy to put together and it's an elegant sit down dinner.  I highly recommend it.

Pork with Fig Port Sauce
Recipe largely adapted from Giada De Laurentis's recipe on Food Network

for the sauce:
16 dried mission figs (I use 3/4 of the package that I buy and the other quarter to add in with the meat)
2 cinnamon sticks
2 1/2 cups port wine
2 sprigs of rosemary
2 cups chicken broth
3 to 5 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon honey
s and p to taste

for the pork:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 sprig of rosemary leaves
salt and pepper
1 cup chicken broth
5 pounds of pork loin

Preheat oven to 425F.  Spread olive oil over the ork loin.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper and rosemary leaves.  Pour the chicken broth into the bottom of the roasting pan.  Place pork fat side up into pan.  Cover and bake.

While the pork is cooking place all the ingredients into a sauce pan.  Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.  The amount of liquid will reduce.  Simmer for about 20 minutes.  Remove cinnamon sticks and branches of rosemary.  Don't worry about a few leaves of rosemary being left behind.  Puree mixture and pour back to saucepan.  Cover and keep on low heat, just to keep it warm until you are ready to serve.

Pork and Hominy Stew

I have posted Posole before but this way to do it, caught my attention.  The recipe is from Cooking Light so if you are counting calories this baby clocks in at 300 for a 1 1/3 cups- not too shabby.  It's real BIG on flavor.  Add some fresh vegetables and wow it cranks it up even more.  For some reason the cabbage, lime juice and radishes really make the dish!

I did not have pork tenderloin thawed out.  I had some ground pork which I think worked really well.  However it was probably a bit more calories.

PORK AND HOMINY STEW
Adapted from this recipe at Cooking Light.

2 tablespoons ancho chile powder
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 pounds ground pork
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups chopped onion
1 1/2 cups chopped green bell pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 1/2 cups fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
1 (28-ounce) can hominy, drained
1- 16 ounce jar of my fire roasted salsa (what? you dont have it, okay substitute your favorite salsa here)

Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; set 1 1/2 teaspoons spice mixture aside. Add pork to remaining spice mixture in bowl, tossing well to coat.

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add pork mixture to pan; cook 5 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally. Add onion and bell pepper; sauté 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally.  Add reserved 1 1/2 teaspoons spice mixture, broth, hominy, and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Partially cover, reduce heat, and simmer 25 minutes.

Serve with some or all of the following accompaniments:  cilantro, avocado, cabbage, radishes and lime juice.
Hmmmmm.

Crappy Pics/Good Food

I have wanted to show you a few recipes but every time I go to post them I say to myself I just cant put this on my blog because the picture is terrible.  Well I decided to post them anyway because they are good.  So here are the ugly's. Do not let their appearance fool you- they were delicious. The first one here is easy-peasy to make and makes a stunning appearance.  That is if you have the time to take a picture before everyone gobbles it up.

Rosemary and Olive Pork Tenderloin
adapted from Flat Belly Diet Book ( I might add, without encouragement that this is a pretty darn good cookbook.  I have had many recipes out of it and they were purely delicious).

12 ounces pork tenderloin
1 tablespoon fresh rosemayr, minced
6 garlic cloves, more if you and your husband fight over them, as we do.
1 cup kalamata olives
2 red onions chopped into bite sized chunks, oh yeah!
1 tablespoon olive oil
s and p

Preheat oven to 375F.  Trim excess fat off tenderloin and place on a foil lined baking sheet. Rub olive oil over tenderloin.  Sprinkle rosemary and salt and pepper over roast, rub into meat.  Place cut up red onion, garlic cloves around tenderloin.  Place in the oven for about 20 minutes.   Take tenderloin out of the oven and place olives on the baking sheet.  Return to oven and cook for about 15 minutes more.  A meat thermometer should read 155F.  After you remove it from the oven, place a sheet of foil over it and let it rest for ten minutes before slicing.

Next up- this Choo Chee Fish and potatoes.  I know some of you are saying yuck, fish cakes, but if you like fish,  and you like Thai, you will love this combination.  We did.  (and might I add for all of you watching for me to keep my promise- this was from a cook book- at least the choo chee part).


Fish Balls
my creation

1 egg
2 pounds of whiting fillets, drained and squeezed of excess water
1/2 to 1 cup plain bread crumbs
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1/4 cup chopped chives or green onions
2 tablespoons instant mashed potatoes
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
salt and pepper

In a processor quick pulse the fish fillets.  Make sure you squeeze as much water out as possible so that you don't have to use many crumbs to hold it together.  In a bowl combine other ingredients and add fish to that. Mix all together and form into balls. Drop into boiling water for about five minutes.  Set balls aside and continue with the remainder of the recipe below.

Choo Chee Potatoes
adapted from Real Vegetarian Thai by Nancie McDermott

1 can (14 ounces or about 1 /34 cups) unsweetened coconut milk
2 tablespoons red curry paste
1 pound new potatoes
¼ cup vegetable stock
2 tablespoons palm sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon soy sauce
¼ cup basil
2 lime leaves

In a saucepan place 1 cup coconut milk and bring to a boil.  Lower heat and simmer 6 to 8 minutes.  When coconut oil begins to pool around the sides then it is ready to add the curry paste.  Cook two minutes more.

Add remainder of ingredients except fish balls. Continue cooking until potatoes are tender.  Add in fish balls and cook to heat through.

This is obviously not a recipe per say but I just had to share it with you. The flavor combination was WoW! My Aunt's fiancé, Uncle C, told me about this amazing sandwich he eats. He takes two slices of bread and puts bologna and apple butter on it. He loves it. Well, we had to try it. We didn't say "Wow" over it but we had some roundish crackers, placed some bologna on them and then a little dollop of apple butter. I must say- WoW! We liked them. A quick and silly appetizer.

Wicked Easy Hot Pockets

I like to go blog hopping.  I look at someone's blog and click on one of their favorites or click on a link to a commenter and I discover new blogs.  It's addicting really.  Like garage sailing- you just never know whats around the bend.  Could be a great recipe or a cute craft with a great tutorial.  Recently, I found a blog called Get Off Your Butt and Bake that I found on Ingrid's blog list at Baseball Baking and Books.  It just so happened I found her blog on April Fool's Day.  The post was about how she was going to take the blog private.  I remember when La Dolce Vita went private... so sad and I miss Marianne and her wonderful stories and recipes.  I decided to peruse her entire site, looking for recipes that looked like they would be good for my family.

Boy, did I find a good one!  Her recipe is for Hot Pockets. They whip up so fast, they are so easy and in no time you can have hot pockets that beat the pants off the commercially available ones.  We so loved these that they will be a regular in this house both for savory and sweet applications.

Wicked Easy Hot Pockets
slightly adapted from this recipe

2 cups (125 grams) all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 pound (one stick) cold butter
2/3 cup buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Spray or oil a baking sheet. In a food processor or a large bowl measure out flour.  Add the baking powder, baking soda and salt to the flour and combine thoroughly.  Slice the cold butter into the flour mixture. Cut in the butter to the flour mixture.If youare using a food processor do quick pulses until you have a coarse crumb texture.

Pour in the buttermilk.  In the processor let it whirl until the dough forms a ball. If doing the dough in a bowl stir until moistened and knead a few times to make a smooth dough.

Roll the dough to a thickness of 3/8-inch. Cut into circles or rectangles.  press out he dough a little with your finger tips around the edges because you will be doubling up the thickness there.  Place your meat, cheese, filling on the dough being careful not to get it near the edges.  If there is any filling on the edges it will be difficult to seal.  Once you have placed your filling on the dough, press another piece of dough the same size over top and press with a fork to seal the edges.

Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden.

Penne Vodka

The title of this post isnt really true is it? Its more like Farfalle Vodka. Its just the shape that has changed though because it has all the goodness of the penne vodka. The cream, the vodka, the tomatoes... and from there everyone's penne vodka is a little different. The recipes are as varied as the proposed origins of this dish. Some say it came out of Italy, some say America and some say the vodka company, which is in, oh, I dunno, Russia?! (Read more about it here.) It's a good thing, so of course everyone wants to say it was their idea. No disrespect but it really doesn't matter as long as I can make it in my kitchen. Not only can you make it in your kitchen but like most pasta dishes, it's a snap to prepare.

Lori's Farfalle Vodka
interpreted from my friend "D" who got us all hooked on the stuff.
filled with lots of commentary, cause I am part Italian

pasta, any shape, your choice, after all it will be your dish when all is said and done.
1/4 - 3/4 cup vodka (depending on what a lush you are)
4 cups tomato sauce (fresh tomatoes in the summer totally rock this dish)
2 cups chopped ham
1/2 cup to 3/4 cup half and half
3 - 6 tablespoons tomato paste (depending on how thick you like your sauce)
1 1/2 cups peas
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
fresh basil or a spoonful of pesto
parsley, if you are feeling fancy- decorate it

In a large pot boil your pasta. This sauce will cover about a pound of cooked pasta.

In a large skillet, saute onions until soft. Add minced garlic and cook one minute more. Pour in your tomato sauce, ham and vodka and let simmer for about 30 minutes. Add the peas, basil and half and half and let the sauce get warm again. Stir in your pasta and it's ready to serve. Sprinkle with more basil (if you have fresh) and parsley.

Savory Apple and Pork Pie

This is a recipe in the making so to speak. I had this idea and I am still working with it to see what I can come up with to make it better. Pork and apples go pretty good together of course. Apples and cheese go good together. And let'ace it, just about anything with cheese is good. I wanted to make a meal out of these components.

I made a pie crust that I saw on this show on Tina Nordstrom show that airs on Create TV. I browned some ground pork in a frying pan and added some leftover breakfast sausages. I then layered in Jonagold apples and topped with some swiss cheese. I liked the flavors. What it really needs is some sauce to pull it all together. I didnt want to do an egg type thing like a quiche. The obvious choice here I think is a bechamel poured in. But if any of you have any ideas of a lighter style sauce that would work well here I would love to know.

Pork and Apple Pie

pie crust (Tina Nordstrom: New Scandinavian Cooking, click here for recipe)
1/4 cup (50 g) softened butter
1 1/2 cups (4 dl) flour
1/2 cup (11/2 dl) milk
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

filling
2 Jonagold apples or other firm apple, peeled, cored and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 1/2 pounds ground pork
6 breakfast sausage links, cooked and chopped
1 teaspoon Lawry's seasoned salt
pepper to taste
pinch of sage
2 cups grated Swiss cheese, Gouda or Gruyere

Brown ground pork in saute pan, along with sausage links. Drain any excess fat and season with sage, seasoned salt and pepper. Set aside to cool.

Mix pie crust dough and roll out to 1/4 inch thickness. Fold and place in a 10 inch spring form pan. Carefully push dough down the inside of the pan, covering all spaces. Do not trim the dough, whatever is hanging over the side, let it be. Once your pork mixture is cool spoon it into the bottom of your pie shell. Add layer of sliced apples. And sprinkle the cheese over top. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake in a 375F oven for about 45minutes. Remove foil and bake 15 minutes more. When top is a little golden remove from oven. With a sharp knife, remove the dough that is hanging down the side. Remove sides of the springform. Let sit at least ten minutes before attempting to move or cut. If you try to cut it too soon, it will fall over.

Bench Notes: Next time I make this, it will be with a becahmael poured over the pork before layering in the apples and cheese. Or with the eggs and half and half. Unless someone out there has a lighter idea.

Daring Cooks: Satay

I actually have made some satay before on this blog, almost two years ago... time flies. It was chicken satay. When I saw satay for the challenge of this month's Daring Cooks, I actually was excited, even though I had made it before. It was a great excuse to make satay again. Really it is so delicious. I went with pork for this satay since I had done chicken before. I used pork loin.

This is one of those dishes that is really hard to photograph, especially during the winter months. I like natural lighting so really I have to wait until the next to do my shots. The reason why it is so difficult is because it just disappears. I literally had to act like a pit bull for the last piece of meat so I would have something to shoot in the morning. How funny is that?

The January 2010 DC challenge was hosted by Cuppy of Cuppylicious and she chose a delicious Thai-inspired recipe for Pork Satay from the book 1000 Recipes by Martha Day.



Pork Satay with Peanut Sauce

Satay Marinade

1/2 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 T ginger root, chopped (optional) (2 cm cubed)
2 T lemon juice (1 oz or 30 mls)
1 T soy sauce (0.5 oz or 15 mls)
1 tsp ground coriander (5 mls)
1 tsp ground cumin (5 mls)
1/2 tsp ground turmeric (2-2.5 mls)
2 T vegetable oil (or peanut or olive oil) (30 mls)
1 pound of pork (loin or shoulder cuts) (16 oz or 450g)

Feeling the need to make it more Thai? Try adding a dragon chili, an extra tablespoon of ginger root, and 1 tablespoon (0.5 oz or 15 mls) of fish sauce. (I keep some premature (still green) dragon chili peppers in the freezer for just such an occasion.)

Directions:
1. Cheater alert: If you have a food processor or blender, dump in everything except the pork and blend until smooth. Lacking a food processor, I prefer to chop my onions, garlic and ginger really fine then mix it all together in a medium to large bowl.
2. Cut pork into 1 inch strips.
3. Cover pork with marinade. You can place the pork into a bowl, cover/seal and chill, or place the whole lot of it into a ziplock bag, seal and chill.

Chill Chart

Pork	Beef/Lamb	Chicken	Vegetables	Tofu (no oil)
4-8 hrs Up to 24 hrs	6-8 hrs Up to 24 hrs	1-4 hours Up to 12 hrs	20 min – 2 hrs Up to 4 hrs	20 min – 4 hrs Up to 12 hrs

* If you’re grilling or broiling, you could definitely brush once with extra marinade when you flip the skewers.

Peanut Sauce
based on this recipe from Tyler Florence

1 cup smooth peanut butter
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons red curry paste
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 limes, juiced
1/2 cup hot water

Combine the peanut butter, soy sauce, red chili paste, brown sugar, and lime juice in a food processor or blender. Puree to combine. While the motor is running, slowly pour the hot water to thin out the sauce. Thin to desired consistency.

Recipes to Rival: Appetizers 2010

This months Recipes to Rival was hosted by yours truly. I chose appetizers because that's what is on a lot of people's mind come New Year's. I had a few that I was just wanting to try. I made them late in November to get ready for the challenge. But I am seriously thinking of doing the olive one again. They are absolutely delicious and wonderful for snacking on during a cocktail party.

I have two puff pastry recipes in progress as I write this post. You know after you make your own puff pastry you will never want the store bought one again. I used the store bought one for the olive recipe below because it was near Thanksgiving and with so much on my plate, pun totally intended, I thought I'd go the easy route. Ah, like, so not worth it. And c'mon don't give me that song and dance that puff pastry scares you. Honestly, if you really want puff, you can make it. It's as easy as, well, it's easier than cleaning your house. You mix up a dough, roll it, insert squared butter, fold over the butter, roll and chill. Take out roll, fold, chill. Then five more times. It's pretty time consuming but between all those rolling times there are plenty of moments to do the other things you want to do. Making those layered jello desserts is way more time consuming and messy. Wow, am I rambling?

So here are my choice appetizers.

Turkey Croquettes
(Thought for Food adapted this recipe From the Joy of Cooking: All About Chicken’s recipe for Chicken Croquettes)
This is my adaptation.
(Yield: 16 croquettes)

1/2 T butter
1 medium onion, diced
2 c shredded skinless, cooked turkey (I like to use a mix of dark and white meat for this)
1/4 c minced fresh parsley
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp fresh or dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1/2 cup unseasoned bread crumbs
Salt to taste
1 1/2 c Panko breadcrumbs
1/2 c all-purpose flour
2 large eggs, beaten
Canola oil, for shallow frying
Lemon wedges, for serving
Salad greens, for serving

The Roux:
1 1/4 c chicken stock, warmed
1 1/2 TB butter
1 1/2 TB all-purpose flour
Salt and pepper to taste

For the Roux: In a small pan over medium heat, melt the butter and whisk in the flour. Turn down to low heat and cook (stirring constantly) until the roux is just slightly darkened and fragrant (about 6 minutes). Slowly whisk in the warm stock and simmer the sauce (stirring occasionally) until it’s thick. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

In a small pan, heat ½ TB butter over medium-low heat; add the onion and sauté for about 7 minutes, until the onion is starting to soften and change color. In a bowl, combine the roux, cooked onions, shredded turkey, minced parsley, pepper, thyme, celery seed, breadcrumbs and salt to taste. Cover mixture and refrigerate until very cold and firm (at least 2 hours).

Put your flour and breadcrumbs in separate shallow bowls, and beat your eggs in a separate shallow bowl. Gather mixture into tiny balls or patties about the size of a large olive. Roll in flour first, then egg, then panko crumbs to coat.

In a large skillet, add enough oil to generously cover the bottom; preheat the oil on medium-high heat. Fry the croquettes over medium to medium-high heat until golden and crispy on both sides, then drain on a paper towel-lined plate.


Mini Pigs in a Blanket

I saw this recipe for biscuits and have been wanting to make these cute little wrapped dogs for ages. Kids usually love them. One of my children loved them (the one that doesnt like hot dogs- ha! and the other one not so much, she prefers a plain old hot dog.

Bride's Biscuits
adapted from Southern Sideboard, by the Junior League of Jackson Mississippi, 1978
*note- this is a large recipe purposely so you can use it as needed. If you are not big on biscuits or anything made with biscuits you can reduce the amounts.

5 cups flour
5 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup shortening
2 cups buttermilk
1 package dry yeast or 2 1/4 teaspoons
5 tablespoons warm water
mini hot dogs, aka cocktail weiners

Sift dry ingredients, then cut in shortening. Add buttermilk. Dissolve yeast in warm water and add to mixture. Knead lightly. Cut squares and wrap hot dog at a diagnol.

Place on greased cookie sheet and bake at 450F about 10 to 12 minutes. Store dough in refrigerator, pinching off as much as needed each time. It can also be frozen.

Olive Straws
I saw Michel Roux on Martha Stewart and knew I needed to make these. They are so cute!

The demonstration to make these can be found here.
http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/olive-straws.

All-purpose flour, for work surface
13 ounces Puff Pastry
15 large green pimento stuffed olives, about 1 1/4 inches long
1 medium egg yolk
1 tablespoon milk

1. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out puff pastry to a 12 1/2-by-6-inch rectangle, about 1/8-inch thick. Using a large sharp knife, cut the rectangle into a 5 1/2-by-6-inch rectangle and a 7-by-6-inch rectangle. Place both rectangles on a baking sheet and transfer to refrigerator; let chill 20 minutes.
2. Place the 5 1/2-by-6-inch rectangle on a baking sheet. Place 5 olives, end-to-end, in a straight line along the short side of the rectangle, leaving about a 5/8-inch border. Repeat process two more times to make three lines of olives.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together egg yolk and milk. Brush egg mixture on all exposed spaces between olives. Cover with the 7-by-6-inch rectangle of puff pastry, pressing the whole surface of the dough between the olives firmly with your fingertips. Transfer to refrigerator ( I think in the demonstration they said freezer); let chill 20 minutes.
4. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Using a very sharp knife, trim edges of dough; cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-wide straws. Lay flat-side down on a baking sheet. Transfer to oven and bake until pastry is golden and crisp, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer straws to a wire rack to cool slightly. Serve warm.

To make your own rough puff pastry:
recipe from Martha Stewart- click here.

Makes 2 pounds, 10 ounces.

1 pound 2 ounces all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
1 pound 2 ounces very cold, unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 cup ice-cold water

1. Mound flour in center of a large work surface, and make a well in the middle; place butter and salt in well.
2. Using your fingertips, mix ingredients together in the well. Using the fingertips of your other hand, slowly incorporate flour, beginning with inner rim of well. When cubes of butter have become small pieces and dough is grainy, gradually add ice water until fully incorporated, taking care not to overwork the dough. Roll dough into a ball and wrap with plastic wrap; refrigerate for 20 minutes.
3. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough into a 16-by-8-inch rectangle. Fold the short ends over the middle (like a letter) to make three layers. This is called the first turn.
4. Give the dough a quarter turn and roll away from you into another 16-by-8-inch rectangle. Fold again into 3 layers; this is called the second turn. Wrap dough in plastic wrap; refrigerate for 30 minutes.
5. Repeat process in steps 3 and 4 to create the third and fourth turns. Wrap dough in plastic; refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, and up to 3 days, before using. Dough may also be kept, frozen, for up to 4 months.

Chinese Five Spice Pork Ribs

Last Saturday I pulled some ribs out of the freezer. I have been slowly whiddling away the meat in there so I can give the freezer a good cleaning and start out fresh. I went on Kat's blog, A Good Appetite so I could look up a rib recipe that I remembered seeing on her blog. And to my surprise she had posted a rib recipe that very day because she too was cleaning out her freezer.

Now, I know that I am not the only blogger that this happens to. I have heard other bloggers say they have run into a similar coincidental experience. So weird isn't it?

Incidentally, if you do not have Chinese Five Spice you can mix together 1 tablespoon ground star anise, 1 tablespoon ground fennel seeds, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoons crushed Szechuan peppercorns (regular pepper if you do not have this) and a pinch of ground cloves.

Chinese Five Spice Pork Ribs
(adapted from this recipe on Kat and Matt's blog, A Good Appetite)

1 rack baby back ribs, about 2 - 2 1/2 lbs
2 T canola oil
1/4 c soy sauce
1 1/4 c sweetened Mirin
1/4 c hoisin sauce
2 teaspoons Chinese five spice
1/4 t red pepper flakes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T fresh ginger, peeled & minced
2 T honey

Place ribs on a foil covered broiler pan and sprinkle Chinese Five Spice on them. Rub it into the meat then place in the broiler. Move ribs around so they are equally browned.

Meanwhile, in a crock pot stir together the sauce ingredients. Place the ribs into the sauce and coat each rib.

Place on crock pot and low and let it go for about 3 to 4 hours. Opening occassionally and moving the ribs around to make sure the sauce if getting all the sides of the ribs. When the meat is pulling away from the bone, you know you are done.

I served the ribs with "cauliflower mash". I boil the cauliflower until it is completely tender then I mash it with a potato masher and then beat in some cream cheese salt and pepper. It is a lot like mashed potatoes.

Pork with Filipino Barbeque Sauce

Last night we enjoyed watching our daughter in her first school play. How fun is that? It's one of the pleasures of parenting, watching your child up on the stage, having a blast and getting lots of attention. My daughter was so excited that she willed the stomach flu away in 12 hours so she could be in school for the day of the play. Now that's amazing. The power of the mind people.

There are two ways I really enjoy meat- on a stick and in a dumpling. Everyone else seems to as well as it disappears REAL fast. Why is that?

Filipino Barbecue Skewers
recipe from Serious Eats

marinade:

1 cup Coke
1 cup brown sugar
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup ketchup
1/8 cup lemon juice
6 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

4 lbs of pork shoulder or chicken thighs, cut into 1 inch cubes
Metal skewers or wooden skewers, soaked in water for at least 30 minutes before use.

Place all marinade ingredients in a medium saucepan and whisk to combine. Simmer over low heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.

Marinate in the regrigerator, preferably over night. Broil or grill, turning as it browns. Baste as desired.

An Inspired Banh Mi

I love when a recipe just reaches out and grabs my collar and says make me! You need to make me! This was one such recipe. I saw it over at Kat and Matt's A Good Appetite. I love to visit their blog to see what they are up to. Lots of yummy food and clever ideas. It's a regular stop for me.

This tastey little mouthful of a treat has lots of great things going for it. It has tastey little pickled carrots and radishes, jalapeno (amazing) mayonnaise, and marinated pork. We had it two days in a row. The first day I had defrosted the pork and did not have time to marinate it. I also used store bought rolls. The second day it had marinated over night and it was on some fresh rolls that I made from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes A Day. You know, it was delicious both days! Even if you skip the marinade it still tastes amazing. The flavor really comes from the mayo and the pickled veggies.

Vietnamese-Style Grilled Pork Po'Boys

from Emeril at the Grill via A Good Appetite

Grilled Pork

3 green onion, minced
1 tablespoon jalapeño, seeded & minced
3 clove garlic, minced
1 T sugar
pinch of pepper
1 T Vietnamese fish sauce
juice of one lime
4 pork chops

In a resealable bag mix the onion, jalapeño, garlic, sugar, pepper, fish sauce & lime juice. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add the pork & seal removing as much air as possible. Let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours up to overnight, turning occasionally. Remove the pork from the bag & let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a skillet and let it get really hot. Place ppork on frying pan and sear it. Turn the heat down. If the slices are thick cover to let cook completely. Remove when internal temp reaches 160F. Let rest & slice into 1/4-inch slices.

Pickled Carrots & Radishes

1 c rice vinegar
3 T sugar
1/4 t crushed red pepper
1/2 t salt
1 carrot, thinnly sliced on the diagonal
1 1/2 c thinly sliced radishes

In a small saucepan bring the vinegar, sugar, red pepper & salt to a boil. Stir until the sugar & salt are dissolved. Plae veggies in a jar and pour in marinade. Refrigerate covered for at least a day or up to two weeks.

Makes about 2 cups.

Jalapeño Mayo
Matt's expert mayo! delicious!

1 jalapeno, seeded
1 green onion
1 clove garlic
1/3 c mayo

Put jalapeno, green onion & garlic into a small food processor & chop. Add the mayo & process until smooth.

Some words on loss and HAMburgers

The past couple months have been a roller coaster ride for one of my dear friends. She lost her brother-in-law suddenly and her Mother suddenly. Just how exactly do you move through that pain? My heart goes out to her and her family. I reach out my hands to her and as I do I think to myself: We are all there where you are, whether it is in this moment or in another moment but we all walk that road. It is of course part of our humanity. I never know what to say, so for the most part I don't say anything. What words can console? Nothing really. There is nothing to be said and words seems so trite. I make myself available and help in whatever way I can but yet I still feel so helpless and unhelpful. I say prayers and although I am not a religious person, I try to focus my love on that person, hoping somehow that can be helpful to them. That is about the best I can do.

I bring this up because I stopped by Crescent's blog, "Nothing is wasted on the writer", which I just adore and my only regret is that there is not something written daily. I love to read her words. So heartfelt and true. So eloquent and captivating. You can read what I just read here. And the post before it is exceptional as well.

I made these HAMburgers a couple weeks ago adn we really enjoyed them. They crumble easily, be patient and work delicately with the mixture and there will be some cohesiveness.

HAMburgers with Peas

2 cups chopped ham, very fine chop
1 teaspoon mustard
2 eggs
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 medium onion, chopped and sauteed
1 clove garlic, minced and sauteed
1 tablespoon olive oil plus more for frying
1/2 cup peas, crushed a little, leaving some whole
pepper to taste

Combine ham, mustard, eggs and bread crumbs in a bowl. Set aside. Saute onion and garlic until softened and cool a bit. Add the onions and garlic to the ham mixture. Form into patties and fry in oil. If you want to use less oil you can. You can finish these burgers in the oven at 350F to complete the cooking process.

The Portugese Dish with Broa

I did a search for the type of recipe that was suggested by Bernard Clayton to go with the Broa (click here for that). Not too many recipes out there like what he was talking about. But all I needed was one and I found it. Delicious. A very simple dish with some nice flavor. We really enjoyed this. I would like to make it again because you can prep everything ahead of time and then pop it in the oven. Have to love that type of recipe.

Baked Eggs with Ham, Sausage and Peas
Adapted from Regional Recipes


1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 (16 ounce) can tomatoes (with liquid)
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon paprika
2.5 ounces fully cooked smoked ham, diced
2 smoked chicken chorizo sausage, sliced thinly
2 eggs
1/4 cup cooked green peas
2 tablespoons chopped pimento

Cook and stir onion and garlic in oil in 2-quart saucepan until onion is tender. Add tomatoes, sugar and paprika; break up tomatoes with fork. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes.Cook and stir ham and chorizo sausage in 8-inch skillet until sausage is done, about 5 minutes; drain.Divide tomato mixture evenly among 4 ungreased 1-ounce custard cups. Break 1 egg over mixture in each cup. Arrange ham mixture, peas and pimiento around each egg. Bake uncovered at 400 degrees F until eggs are set, 12 to 15 minutes.Serve in custard cups.
Yields 2 servings.

My Notes:

I omitted the parsley because I didnt have any- definitely would use it next time.
The calories for half the recipe is about 350.

Crumble Broa into the mixture for more taste, flavor and texture.

PORK EMPANADAS and BOYCOTTS

I don't know how many of you have seen the recent issue of Gourmet. In the issue they talk about the farmers working to get tomatoes out to the rest of the country in the winter. They are abused severely. I find this kind of news so enraging. Unfortunately I know that it probably goes on more than we are aware.

When I was going to school for my Master's I did a report on the grape boycott and Cesar Chavez. He was quite an amazing man who did amazing things for the migrant workers. You can read about it here. I wish we knew about all of these types of bad conditions because I would boycott whatever product came out of such an environment.

The following is a quote from Cesar Chavez. "Our opponents in the agricultural industry are very powerful and farm workers are still weak in money and influence. But we have another kind of power that comes from the justice of our cause. So long as we are willing to sacrifice for that cause, so long as we persist in non-violence and work to spread the message of our struggle, then millions of people around the world will respond from their heart, will support our efforts...and in the end we will overcome."

Very inspiring.

Pork and Plantain Empanadas

1 pound ground pork
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green with some spots plantain, chopped
2 tablespoons raisins
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup tomato sauce
10 green olives
1 red pepper roasted, peeled and chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
empanada dough ( I cheated and used Goya)

Place pork in a fry pan and cook until evenly browned. Meanwhile, chop plantain into small pieces. Roast in the oven at 450F until golden. Roast red pepper on cook top. See the technique here. Combine all ingredients in a fry pan and cook with bay leaf until most of the liquid is gone. If you like a little heat add cayenne. Once it is ready, set aside to cool. Once it is cool enough to handle you can begin rolling it up in the empanada dough.